The present relates to the making of artificial snow and, more particularily, to a method for making artificial snow wherein the spray of water droplets from which the artificial snow is made is subject to an electrostatic field to improve the snow-making process.
Methods and apparati for making artificial snow are wellknown. Most snow-making techniques relay on the nucleation of at least a portion of a liquid water spray into ice nuclei about which additional water will crystalize upon introduction into sufficiently cold ambient air to form artificial snow-like crystals. Typically, the ambient air temperature should be no more than slightly above 0 C. and, preferrably, less than 0 C. for the efficient making of artificial snow.
Prior art snow making methods and apparati may generally be classified in two categories, which will for the sake of clarity be referred to herein as single air stream systems and dual air stream systems, respectively. In the typical single air stream system, a mixture of compressed air and liquid water is expanded through one or more atomizing nozzles to form one or more high velocity jets which are discharged directly into the atmosphere upon issuing from the nozzle.
In the typical dual air stream system, a secondary stream of high velocity air is established, typically by means of a large axial flow fan, into which the stream of compressed air and water, termed the primary air stream, issuing from the spray nozzle is injected. That is, in a secondary air system, the compressed air and liquid water of the primary stream is expanded into the secondary air stream rather than being expanded directly into the atmosphere. Typically, additional water is added to the secondary air stream to increase the humidity of the secondary air stream before the primary air stream with the ice nuclei contained therein is admixed therewith.
Examples of prior art snow making apparatus and methods which may be classified in either of the categories are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,968,164 (Hanson); U.S. Pat. No. 3,703,991 (Eustis et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,598 (Jakob et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 3,969,908 (Lawless et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,083,492 (Dewey); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,105,161 (Kircher et al.).
In the prior art snow making apparatus and methods of both the single air stream and also the dual air stream type, the nucleating process has not been fully appreciated and little effort has been expended in improving the nucleating process. Accordingly, compressed air requirements in present single air and dual air stream systems are unnecessarily and excessively large and add a needless expense to the snow-making operation due to the electrical energy which must be expended to operate compressors to provide the compressed air.